Personal Relationship in Christ

Where the internal and subjective realities of regeneration are absent from the lives of church members, churches find themselves on a foundation of sand. Such churches turn away from the heart of Christianity — doctrine and theology — to focus on peripheral concerns of administration and maintenance. Christians and churches that do not enthusiastically embrace biblical doctrine and theology as the life-blood of faithfulness, tend to spend their time and energy polishing the outside of the cup (Matthew 23:25). Such efforts concern themselves with church growth — noses and nickels — rather than Christian maturity (Ephesians 4:13).

from Informal Christianity, by Phillip A. Ross

Relationship with God is Always Covenantal

The Bible is divided in to two sections: the Old Testament (or Covenant) and the New Testament (or Covenant). God related to the people of the Old Covenant one way, but now relates to the people of the New Covenant (us) in a new way, through Jesus Christ. God has established a personal relationship with everyone in His New Covenant. Understanding what God’s New Covenant is and how it works is very important, though no one is saved by understanding it. People are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to Scripture alone. God has always saved people this way. But once people are saved, they obtain a new status under the New Covenant as they are incorporated into Christ’s church.

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